Wigwag flagman.



J'. A. BELL.` WIGWAG FLAGMAN. 'APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 31, 1914.-

Patented Mar. 30, 1915.y

1 I v v n SHEETS-SHEET z' JOHN A. BELL, OF LOSANGELES, CALIFORNIA, COMPANY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA,

'SSIGNORj '10 RAILWAY 'SPECIALTIES A' CORPORATION OF'CAL'IFQRNIA,

4wrawne Freeman.

Specification of Letterslatent.

'- Patented- Man-30,1915.

Application led January 31, 19.14. Serial No. 815,825.

To all whom it may concern.' Be it known that LJOHN A. BELL, a c1t1- zen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have inventeda new and useful Wigwagv Flagman, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electrically operated railway signals in which thel signal 1s given a constant movement to attract attention, while it is indicating danger. In previous devices of this character the movable signal has been actuated by solenoids which actuated a mechanism so arranged that the signal was abruptly stopped at each end of its stroke by positive fixed mechanical means, which caused a jar and shock to the mechanism and interrupted the natural swinging motion of the signal.

The main object of the present invention is to allow the signaland its armature to swing freely, without hitting any fixed mechanical stop atveach end of its stroke, to employ magnets forgiving the necessary oscillation to the armature and signal, and to stop the swinging of the signal at the end of each stroke by cutting off the circuit of the magnet which was pulling in that direction, and close the circuit through the magnet to pull it in the opposite direction. Thus reversal of the oscillating armature and signal at each end of the 'stroke is-produced magnetically, thereby avoiding shock to the mechanism and imparting a natural free movement to the. armature and signal, al-

lowing them to operate after the manner of a pendulum andrequiring the least possible energy for operation. l

A further object is to provlde an nnproved switch which will not rapidly burn off in use.

Another yobject is to cause the bell to oscillate on theswinging frame to improve the ringing thereof. u `Other objects .and advantages will be broughtv out inthe following description:

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 isa front elevation of the signal, complete. j Fig.

2 is a side elevation ofthe complete signal.

Fig; 3 is an enlarged side elevation of that portion of the magnetic.y operating mechamsm which is inclosed, the nearest half of the inclosing case' being removed. 1.1.y is an enlarged section on line w*-,`F 1g. 3.v ig. 5 isanenlarged` section on line :v5-,

Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectionon line arf-", Fig. 5. Fig..7 is a diagrammatical v iew ofthe connections, Ashowing oneposition of the parts. Fig. Sis a view similar to Fig. 7, showing anotherpositi0n ofthe. parts: Fig 9 is a view similar to Fig. 5, showmg amodiled form, with'the parts in one position. Fig. 10is a view similar to Fig. 9, showing the parts inthe opposite position. Fig 11 is a diagrammatical view ofv the three-point switch. Fig. 12 is.a detail view of the reversing mechanism of Fig. 9.

-.Referring to Figs. l to 8 inclusive, 1 designates the signal which ishere shownasin the'form of a disk withv the warning sign printed thereon. This signal'is secured between two arms 2. These arms are spread apart above the signal l and their upper ends are secured to` an oscillating armature 3, having trunnions 4 which are journaled in bearings 5 in a case 6, which is constructed of two sections which separa-te through the bearings 5, and swinging doors7 are -arranged in each end of the case to give ready access tothe interior, .each door having an, upwardly projecting flange 8, received in a rabbeted portion in .the case, and havingan inclined lower ilange l9 which 'fits against a correspondingly beveled portion of the case, to exclude waterand dust.l Two pairs of magnets-are arranged with- 1n the case, oner pair l0 being arranged on one side of the case, andthe otherpairll ingarranged on the other side, the two pairs of magnets being at an angle to each other and i being retained lin positionv by cores 12 retained by set .screws 13, 'the two sets of magnets. and their cores' beingarranged radially to the.axis ofthe armature 3,-and thelower ends of the cores being so pos1tioned that the' armature is free to swing close thereunder without striking the cores, the line ofmovementof the armature' being transverse tothe axis. of the core of 'the magnet. v-This is an important feature of" the invention.- 1In other-5 clevicesofl like nature, the arm ture'mov'ement is in a 'direction in line with the axis ofthe solenoid,

such that it would strike the solenoid were lit not positively interrupted. The present"y construction permits a free swinging of the armature across the ends ofthe magnets and .its movement is unimpeded ,by any obstruction and itis not stopped at" the `limit of each stroke by any mechanical abutment,

l mature is performed cally.

' switch 15 as l except its reversal of stroke being produced by breaking the circuit through the magnet which is attracting the armature and closing the circuitthroughthe opposite magnet to cause the'armature to -be stopped. and attracted in the opposite direction. Thus the complete movement and control of the armagnetically, its movement being performed magnetically and its reversal of movement at the end offeach stroke, likewise being performed magnetil In order to control the circuits through the magnets two switches 14 and 15 are provided, each 'switch consisting of a plurality of carbon contact points 16 which are supported in tubes 17 mounted in. an insulating base 18 which is attached toan insulating plate 19. Slidable in each base 18 is a stem 20 which is located centrally between the contacts 16. There may be two contacts 16, or three contacts 16av as shown in Fig. 11, and in either case the stem 20 is located centrally between them. Each stem 20 carries a disk 21 which is adapted to descend into contact with the contacts 14 and each stem 20 projects below the base 18. A rock arm 22 is pivoted on a stationary stud 23 and is adapted to alternately actuate the stems 20. The rock arm 22 has a notch24 and a tongue 25 projects from the armature 3 into the notch 24, and. as the armature swings, the tongue is alternately brought against opposite sides of the notch and tilts the rock arm. 22 accordingly. An S-spring 26 is arranged abovethe rock arm 22, the lower end of the spring being pivoted Iat 27 tothe rock arm, the upper end of the spring 26 being received in a slotted post 28.

Figs.-7 and 8 diagrammatically illustrate .the operation of the device. the switches is depressed, for instance, the shown in Fig. 7, it closes the circuit through the magnet 10,' which attracts the armature toward it and swings the' signal from the position shown in Fig.

7, tothe position shown in Fig. 8, and as the tongue 25 strikes the wall of the notch :24, it occurs when the signal has nearly reached its extreme left hand position,

which tilts the rock arm 22 from the posi.

tion shown in Fig. 7 to the position'shown in Fig. 8,"thereupo'n breaking the circuit through the magnet 10 and closing the circuitthrough the magnet 11, and as soon as this occurs, the armature is attracted in the opposite direction and the signal is accordingly oscillated 'n the opposite direction. The width of the notch 24 is such that the rock arm 22 remainsstationary during practically the entire movement of the armature, for a slight amount of movement at each end of the stroke, which takes place during the shifting of the switches and the reversal of the signal.

ing

When one of Located at a `point above the signal 1 and between the arms 2 is a bell suspended from a cross bar 30 which is pivoted to clamps 31 on the bars 2, and a rigid finger 32 projects slidably into a-pivoted cross rod 32. As the signal is oscillated the bell 29. by reason of its pivotal mounting on the frame andengagement of {inger 32 is given an axial movement which causes a proper swinging action of` its tongue and gives armuch betwhile the other single contact point 16n is connected with the opposite or negative side 35. Asl before explained, these three contacts are uniformly spaced around the slidstem 20 of the switch and when the switch disk 21 falls it is supported at three points. i positive contacts, the current is .divided "and the contact points do not burn oif so rapidly. The negative contact point does notv burn at all.v In addition to this-advantage the three contact points give a more even support for the disk than when only two contacts are employed.

If desired, the modification shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 12 may be employed. In this form the rock arm is not directly actuated by the armature, b ut is indirectly'actuated through the. medium of an intermediate lever 36 which 1s pivoted on the stud 23, but is movable independently of the rock arm 22a. The

S-spring 268L instead of having itsupper end y secured to a stationary point, as 1n ythe previous form, has its upper end pivotally connected at 37 to the upper end of the intermediate lever 36. The intermediate lever 36 has a forked lower end with lugs 38 and 39 adapted to be alternately operated by the tongue 25. As the armature swings to the right as shown in Fig. 9, it moves the signal to the left and moves the the center line, whereupon the S-spring 26Il operates to automatically swing the intermediate lever 36 into the osition shown in Fig. 10 and as the point 3 passes the lower 'pivotal' point of the'S-spring 26, it causes the spring to oscillate the rock arm 22 in the reverse direction and shift the switches 18 and 19, whereu the armature is swung on in the opposite 'rection and when the parts On account of there being twok tongue 25 to the l right, and upon reaching the position shown upper end of the intermediate lever 36 acrossl Y stroke.

reach the position shown in Fig. 10, the tongue 25 acts a ainst lug 38 to swing the upper point 37 o the intermediate lever to the right, and the sprin 26 completes the movement and reverses t e sition of rock arm 22 and correspondingy actuates the switches 18 and 19.

What I claim is:

1. A case formed in two sections united at the middle, a magnet core detachably secured in each section, a magnet on each core, means securing the sections detachabl together, the two sections having journal arings, the center line through said journal bearings meeting 'the axial lines of thecores at their points of intersection, the said bearings being divided by the line of division between the two sections, an yarmature mounted in the said journal bearings and having a free movement with respect to said cores, a signal carried by said armature, and switch means located -within said case and operated by the movement of the armature for controlling the circuits through the said magnets to reverse the direction ofcmovement of the armature at veach end of its 2. In a wig-Wag flag-man, a case, arms rojecting from the case, a signal carrie by said arms, mechanism within said case Aforoscillating said arms, and' a bell mounted between said arms and between the signal and case to be rung by the movement of the arms.

3. In a wig-Wag agman, a case, arms rop jecting from the case, a signal carrie by said arms, mechanism within said case for oscillating said arms, a bell mounted between said arms and between the signal and case to lbe rung by the movement of the arms, and swinging doors in opposite ends of the case, givmg access thereto, said case being in two'sections, detachably secured together, said doors extending over both sections.

4. A pivoted armature provided withtwo radial sockets, avpair of arms projecting into said sockets, a signal carried by said arms magnets for attracting said armature in opposite directions, a case inclosing said magnets and armature, a base in said case, a rock arm pivoted on said base and having a notch, a tongue on the armature projectin into said notch, switch contacts sup orte by said base, switch stems extending shdabl between said contacts, a disk carried by eac stem, and adapted to rest upon the associatedl contacts when the stem is lowered, said stems being actuated by said rock arm.v

5. Apivoted armature provided with two radial sockets, a pair of arms projecting into said sockets, a signal carried by said arms, magnets for attracting said armature in op-v poslte directions, a case inclosing said magnets and armature', abase in said case, a rock arm pivoted on said base and having a notch, atongue on the armature projecting into said notch switch contacts supported b said base, switch stems extending slidab y between said contacts,;fa disk carried byeach stem, and adapted to rest upon the asso- 1 ciated contacts when the stem is lowered,

said stems being actuated .by said rock arm, there being three contacts around each stem, two of sald contacts being connected with one side of the circuit through the associated magnet, and the other contact being connected with the opposite side of the cir-l cuit whereby burning cf the contactsl is *sol minimized.

6. In a wig-Wag iiagman, a case, a frame pivoted to the. case, a signal carriedby the frame, a bell pivoted on saidl frame, and a connection between the bell and case for causing the bell to oscillate axially with respect to said frame when the frame is oscillated. In testimon whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at 0s Angeles, California, this 16th day of January, 1914.

. JOHN A. BELL. In presence of y G. T. Hnomr, LORRAINE E, DUnRow. 

